Archive for the ‘Lips’ Category:
It’s wintertime and, in addition to our skin feeling drier, our lips feel the effect of the cold air and wind by becoming chapped sometimes to the point of cracking. Many of us apply lip balm frequently during the day to combat this chapping. I know I am almost addicted to using lip balm in the winter.
Why are our lips so sensitive to climate change? The lips are so prone to chapping and drying because the skin is very thin and the oil glands are few for the lips compared to the rest of our body. Lip plumpers are used to combat this effect, but you want to be careful to use lip balms that are natural ways to plump the lips that use moisturizing agents instead of stinging agents that just irritate the epithelial layer.
One habit that you should avoid is licking the lips. Licking your lips feels better for the moment but actually dries the lips more. Lip balm should be applied several times a day or more frequently if needed. If there’s still no improvement, you can switch to a regular vaseline type of product. When shopping for a lip balm for winter use, look for one with petrolatum.
If your lips continue to be chapped and you’re using lip balm already, you could have an allergy causing your chapped lips. Allergens can be mouthwash, toothpaste, lip balm or liipstick. If you suspect you have an allergy to any of these products, try not using the product in question for a week or two and see if you note any improvement.
The purpose of a lip balm is to prevent or repair chapped lips. For types of lip balm, you can select one with a petrolatum base, or a type with sunscreen for outdoor activities, or an overnight type with vitamins and aloe vera.
To diminish the amount of chapping and dryness to your lips, make sure you drink lots of water. Another way to cut down on dryness, not only of the lips but for all of your skin, use a humidifier.
Use of a lipstick can reduce the effects of the cold air, sun and wind. Be sure to select a moisturizing type of lipstick and apply frequently. A word of caution about the long lasting lipsticks is they contain a chemical that can actually dry the lips.
Some topical preparations we use for our face can dry the lips such as benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and Retin A. If you find that you have stubbornly chapped lips, stop the use of these topical medications and see if it helps.
Alba is a line of organically geared cosmetics and lotions, facial skin care and a growing line of other beauty products that are made with pure ingredients. I first noticed their product line when I visited California a couple years ago, when I was mulling through the organic shops and herbal tincture offerings.
It seems that Alba has finally made it somewhat into the mainstream though, as before I saw their product lines here in Ohio only when I was shopping in a natural health food store like Mustard Seed (a local natural foods store that I happen to love) and Wild Oats, which is a subsidiary of Whole Foods Inc.
I was just in CVS today though and found Alba’s products on the shelves in the skin care aisle as well as with the other lip balms, including Burt’s Bees and your regular every day chapstick. The lip balms that Alba makes, which come in stick form just like a chapstick, run about $3.50, which is even a little more than the Burt’s Bees runs for in some stores.
I figured I would try it though, because it turns out that in the long run the new Burt’s Bees Pomegranate “Replenishing” lip balm I bought seems to actually dry my lips out more than anything else over the long term. It felt good going on and tastes terrific, even adding a nice little sheen to the lips and a bit of a pinkish tint due to the dark red color of the balm, but in the long term of the day it dried me out more.
So I bought the Alba Creamy Coconut lip balm, and I’ve used it so far about five times today (less than what I usually use of other balms), and my lips still feel soothed and moisturized. It’s not greasy, so I think that gives it staying power. Plus it has a nice flavor and scent, nothing too overbearing or fake smelling at all though. Overall, I like it so far!
This came as somewhat of a jolt to the women out there who wear lipstick on a daily basis, or even just a couple times a weak. Apparently many popular brands of lipstick contain a potentially toxic heavy metal that’s gotten a bad rap for years as being a toxin in the body – lead. Lead was required to be removed from many paints, childrens toys and tons of other products as an additive years ago by the FDA, since it was found thad lead is a toxin to the human body.
This is particularly alarming since lipstick goes on the lips, and the lips absorb everything the sits on them, so it can potentially be making its way directly into your blood stream. THe whole problem is that the FDA has not yet set a safety level for the heavy metal in lipstick yet, so technically these companies are really doing nothing wrong or illegal (perhaps unethical from a responsibility to consumers standpoint though in my opinion) by having lead in their red lipstick. It only mentioned red by the way, and I assume this is to achieve the darker pigmentation of reds.
About half the lipsticks tested of various brands, including Cover Girl, Christian Dior and L’Oreal (one of my favorites in other areas, but I don’t buy their lipstick) had lead in them. About one third of all the lipsticks tested had lead that was over the safety level designated for candy in them, and that’s not good, since lipstick is basically eated and swallowed many times, just like candy is, and can be easily absorbed by the body on the lips.
Here’s the good news though. 39% of the lipsticks tested by the consumer advocacy group had no traceable lead whatsoever in them. The panel is urging cosmetic companies to take all lead out of its lipsticks, as it is apparently possible to make lipsticks without the toxic substance in it. We’ll see if they take the bait. I’m sure the panel doing these tests has drawn some attention, and at least as a good PR move, some of these cosmetic giants will at least address the problem. You may want to look up the lipsticks that contain the lead though online, since your lipstick could potentially be one of them.
I may have a new favorite lingering in the wings to take over my current favorite lip balm, and it’s by none other than Burt’s Bees. A tube of this stuff, the size of a tube of Chap Stick, is a newer products in their lip care line, which happens to be one of their best selling lines now. It’s called Pomegranate Replenishing Lip Balm, or just “with Pomegranate oil” as it says on the label.
It’s really for nourishing and moisturizing more so than their other balms, which seem to be more aimed at protecting the lips, although most of them do not have SPF in them, which I consider a major drawback, as I’ve had burnt lips many times before and they’re not fun!
The Burts Bees pomegranate lip balm is neat because it is a bright reddish color, and yet only gives a very subtle hint of pigment when applied, almost as a cherry chapstick would, but with more of a sheen, which is what I like about it. It’s not waxy at all, which tends to be a problem with a lot of lip balms, in my book at least. It also doesn’t seem so oily that it just wears off in ten minutes either, so it’s a nice blend between the two.
And now onto the best part about Burt’s Bees new lip balm with pomegranate oil. It tastes and smells like something that you just want to eat. It’s a very strong smell and taste, and I did look on the label since I thought this had to be partly artificial, and it looks like it might be, but I can’t be sure as it just has the last ingredient as “fragrance”. I don’t really care in this case, because the flavor and smell are so good, that it’s almost a novelty wearing it just for that fact alone. For $3 a tube, I’d say go for it and try this new and fun Burt’s Bees product!
Well, I know that this certainly applies to me, as I’m constantly reaching in my purse’s little cosmetic bag and getting my lip balm out. I put it on in the morning, twice, after every time I eat, because I feel that it’s worn off, and pretty much at least 15-20 times a day I’d say, easily. Yes, I do go through a lot of lip balm!
There was a recent article that exposed the fact that many people have become “addicted” to lip balm, as I have. I can count many of my female friends among lip balm addicts, although I sort of think I’m still in the extreme category lol. Lip balm addiction really happens because we become so used to having increased moisture content in our lips, and when they feel the least bit dry (which is actually normal), we feel that they look cracked, or we can’t stand the feeling.
For me, it’s more of a feeling that I don’t like, and I feel a compulsion to add moisture to them. For me, it’s almost like having dry hands. I can’t concentrate until they’re moisturized! Oh, the neuroses the beauty industry has instilled in us! Hey, I guess it’s better than other more serious addictions, right? Researchers did note that lip balm addiction is just fine (what a shock), as long as you don’t develop any allergies to the balms or balm you habitually use.
As I told you, I decided that I did want some very subtle lip plumping, just to try it out because I’ve always been curious about it, and so I decided to get that done after I found out that fillers would not be the best option for someone my age who is trying to get rid of minor crows feet and lines around the eyes, but Botox would be. So, I had the doc do a little lip plumping on me with Juvederm, which is basically identical as I’m told to Restylane. I was offered both products, but ultimately decided to go with the Juvederm personally.
The experience was not bad at all, but I must tell you, I’ve had several oral surgeries this past year and a half, so I was used to getting shots in and around my mouth for pain numbing. I was shot up with Lidocaine around my mouth area several times. The worst part about that was the fact that you can actually feel the liquid go underneath your skin and it is a rather squeamish feeling, especially if you don’t like needles.
At one point, I started to think about it a little too much, and just balled up my fist and took it like a woman, and from then on it wasn’t too bad. I had to sit there for a little while as the numbing effects too hold, and I could barely talk. I felt, as I had with the oral surgeries, that I could talk, but my mouth wouldn’t move. It’s a bizarre feeling to say the least, and you definitely would want to do it some time when you have no where to go for the next few days because the likelihood of local bruising is fairly high and it is hard to cover up.
The Juvederm costs $500 per syringe, and they can store the rest of the syringe for you for up to six months if they happen to not use the whole thing at once. Yes, it’s not cheap, but if you want some more definition to your mouth or generally want larger more naturally plumped lips, it’s a good option. If you want a lot of plumping, be cautioned that you can very easily go through more than one syringe though. I wanted only subtle plumping, so I did end up with some of the syringe leftover. My results were very cool.
It was kind of neat because my lips seemed to not only be fuller, but also they had more color and definition to them, so the need for lipstick and tinted glosses was minimized, which I liked. I think I may have the top lip plumped a bit more next time, since I have to go back again in the next six months anyways and use the rest of the syringe.
It did seem to go down a bit so far, and it’s about two weeks later now, but many times I guess patients do require a second treatment for desired results. It’s fun, I’ll say that! It’s not for the squeamish or needle-shy, but if you can take a little prick here and there, you’ll be fine. I feel my results are truly natural looking and a great natural looking way to plump the lips, especially since I’m not personally a fan of overly plumped lips.
Ms. Dita Von Teese, the world’s premier burlesque stripper and old-Hollywood era style icon, is now hawking Mac’s Viva Glam line of lipstick in hopes of her stylish, classy, yet undeniably sexy image rubbing off on the consumers who are supposed to clammer for the new stuff in the wake of the era of Dita (if you don’t read gossip columns, she’s been named one of the most stylish women of our age). Dita pulls off a full figured, not-afraid-to-flaunt her body, yet coyly sexy image that not many women can pull off these days.
You’ll never catch Dita Von Teese wearing self tanner, oh no, her perfect porcelain skin is her signature look, and wear it well she does! Dita is definitely refreshing in this age of over-done bleached blonds with big fake breasts, fake hair and fake tans with her classically understated but radically different style, which is all based on the styles of the 1940′s. When asked in a recent interview if she was “comfortable” wearing high heels and dresses all the time, and whether she takes it all off when she gets home and is out of sight of camera crews and dons a pair of jeans, Ms. Von Teese answers that she doesn’t even like jeans, nor does she find them comfortable. To her, a slip or a nice silky dress is comfort, not jeans.
Dita gained a little notoriety when she began dating a guy that seemed like her opposite, but seemed oddly fitting for a woman who’s style was definitely not the norm, Marilyn Manson. The two married, but have since divorced after speculation that an affair with a young video co-star (on Manson’s part) broke the marriage up. Dita is the perfect spokeswoman for Mac makeup, since she embodies a timeless style but also an udneniable sense of femininity and sensuality that makes her a style icon as well as a sex kitten.
Her style will never change, as attested by the brunette bombshell herself, and that’s what makes her a unique standout. Her style will always reflect the timeless glamour of the 1940′s, no matter what fashion trends tend to come and go. Let’s hope Mac keeps her around as a spokesperson for a while – she’s definitely a rolemodel for staying true to your own unique sense of style, and she’s sexy without being trashy. Oh, and the lipstick she is promoting for Mac’s Viva Glam is also donating a portion of profits to AIDS prevention and awareness (perhaps research as well, but I didn’t catch that).
Well, I’ve been talking a lot about beauty bargains I’ve been getting lately, and this just continues the beauty bargain trend! On a recent trip to North Carolina, we stopped at a big outlet that specilized in cigars, cowboy hats and tacky clothes, but also happened to have some pretty cool beauty closeout items, ranging from Rusk Hair care products to cheaper hair care products and a whole range of cosmetics that had most likely been closeouts or slightly imperfect, purchased from retail stores.
Among the beauty bargain closeouts, I found some Maybelline Wet Shine lipsticks and lip balms, in quite a few colors, that looked like the packaging was slightly imperfect, for a dollar ninety nine each. I bought a few of them, figuring I had tried Maybelline Wet Shine lipsticks and balms before and was pretty surprised at how well I liked them. Don’t get me wrong, they do not stay very well, but they’re really not designed to. Wet Shine by Maybelline is designed more as a lip gloss, and a high shine lip product that can help your lips to look plumper, more voloptuous, and add just a hint of color.
I purchased one in a Berry color, and the other in a translucent gloss. I usually slick the gloss on first and them the Berry colored gloss and get a nice, light tint to my lips that stays for about an hour, unless I’m eating or drinking. I like the fact that it’s subtle color, because I’ve never been a fan of the way I look in actual lipstick, since my lips just don’t carry off bold color right, and the shape of my face tends to not be so flattered by heavy lip stain.
I think if you’re interested in lip plumping, you may want to check out products like the Wet Shine line by Maybelline, in addition to using an actual lip plumping agent (see lip plump reviews), since high shine agents can help your lips to look fuller simply by bending the light in your favor and reflecting off of it to create a seemingly larger surface area. I always feel my lips look more pronounced and “sexy” with a little gloss on!
In our quest to thicken up what we perceive as “thin lips”, there are a multitude of lip plumpers on the market, in addition to many surgical and injections styles of lip enlargement in the plastic surgery field. But the problem with having surgery or injections to get fuller, bigger lips is that the results are often un-natural looking and sometimes can even border on looking deformed or odd.
Take for example, actresses who have had a little too much plumping done, or collagen injections in their lips. I’ve seen Goldie Hawn when she looked like she’d had one too many injections, and her lips looked oddly misshapen and uneven. Also, another actress notorious for having her lips enhanced was Lara Flynn Boyle, who granted, is not a regular on the red carpet and hasn’t done much in years in the way of acting in Hollywood, but nonetheless, the disaster that was her lips is memorable to me.
So, Cushy Lips is a newer lip plumper that looks like it may be promising, and a more economical version of other lip plumpers like my current favorite Lip Fusion and other pricey lip plumping alternatives. There are others that are sold online as well, such as Lucky Lips, that are fairly pricey but promise to pump up your lips to look like a glamorous model or actress.
It seems ever since I was in high school, plump lips have been “in” and everywhere you look, the most popular actresses and the women that are considered to be some of the most beautiful in the world invariably have those fuller lips. There is a biological reason for that natural male attraction to women with fuller lips too.
Supposedly humans are attracted to fuller lips in women because this signifies higher levels of estrogen and a significantly higher rate of fertility, which believe it or not, men are still hardwired to be attracted to, even in this day and age, which is far from primitive. Cushy Lips is worth a look at though. It’s a unique formula and they have some pretty cool comments from users on the site – see the lip plump reviews also and you can link to their site from there.
Burt’s Bee’s is one of those natural cosmetic lines that I think we’ve all tried at one time or another, whether we’ve tried their most popular products, which I believe are their line of lip balms, or their expanded line of beauty and cosmetic products like their tinted lipsticks, lip balms, shampoos, body butters and other fun stuff for body care.
I purchased on of their best products, at least that’s what I think, in a natural foods store that I frequent called Mustard Seed. It’s their honey beeswax lip balm, and it has a hint of a mint flavor to it as well. I usually am not a big fan of mint in my lip balms, as I feel it actually dries my lips out more than they were before (this has actually been proven too, which is why I can’t figure out why mint and camphor is one of the primary ingredients used in all lip balms and lip repair products, although it does have a topically soothing feeling).
Burts Bees lip balms are only about 3 bucks a pop, and you can find them in a lot of the natural food stores as well as in the cosmetics sections or supplement/natural health sections of some grocery stores as well. Their popularity is among older and younger women, because they span the generations and they also have a slight cult following from their earlier days as the “hippy chic” cosmetics.
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